Low Testosterone May Raise Depression Risk

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Men with lower levels of testosterone may be at increased risk of
depression, a new study finds.

Researchers found that more than half of the men in the study who
had lower levels of testosterone had a
diagnosis of depression, or showed symptoms of the condition,
while a quarter of participants were taking medication for the
disease. The vast majority of male participants in the new George
Washington University study also were found to be overweight or
obese, and so for comparison, the researchers pointed to a recent
survey of U.S. adults finding that 6 percent of those overweight
or obese were depressed.

"Depression and/or depressive symptoms were present in 56 percent
of the subjects," in the study, the authors concluded.

Produced primarily by the testicles, testosterone helps maintain
a man's sperm production, sex drive, muscle strength and mass,
bone density, and facial and body hair. Men who do not produce a
"normal" amount of testosterone may be diagnosed with
a condition called hypogonadism, but exactly what level
should be considered normal is difficult to define, the authors
wrote.

One reason for this is that blood levels of testosterone may be
less important to a man's health than the effects of the hormone
in muscle, bone, the brain and the reproductive organs, explained
the authors. But even with blood tests, there is no level of
testosterone that is universally accepted within the medical
community as being too low.

Testosterone
levels generally peak during adolescence and early
adulthood. As men age, their testosterone levels gradually
decline, typically by about 1 percent a year after age 30 or 40,
according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. [ 5 Myths
About the Male Body ]

In the new study, the researchers probed the medical charts of
200 men with an average age of 48. All had been referred to an
endocrinologist after a blood test indicated their testosterone
levels were borderline low (between 200 and 350 ng/dL).

The researchers looked at the men's demographic data, medical
histories, medication use, and symptoms of hypogonadism. They
also looked at whether the men had been diagnosed with depression
or if they took an anti-depressants, and all study participants
who weren't diagnosed with depression or taking medications for
the condition answered standardized test questions aimed at
measuring their mood.

Analysis showed that the study participants had higher rates of
obesity and lower rates of physical activity than their peers in
the general population. Participants also suffered from erectile
dysfunction, decreased libido, fewer morning erections, low
energy and sleep disturbances. Rates of depression were 62
percent for study participants in their 20s and 30s, 65 percent
for those in their 40s, 51 percent for those in their 50s and 45
percent for those age 60 and over.

"In an era where more and more men are
being tested for '"Low T' — or lower levels of testosterone —
there is very little data about the men who have borderline low
testosterone levels," study researcher Dr. Michael Irwig, an
associate professor of medicine and director of the Center for
Andrology at the George Washington School of Medicine and Health
Sciences in Washington, D.C., said in a statement. "We felt it
important to explore the mental health of this population."

More research is still needed in this area, but doctors and other
health care professionals "should recognize the
high rates of depression and depressive symptoms in men
referred for borderline testosterone levels," the authors wrote
in their study.

Testosterone replacement therapy can improve the signs and
symptoms of low testosterone in these men, the researchers said.
In the decade ending in 2011, one commercial health insurance
group in the United States saw the
number of testosterone prescriptions triple, according to a
2013 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine. The researchers
noted a corresponding trend of increased direct-to-consumer
marketing leading men to believe "Low T" may be the underlying
cause for their decreased sexual function and low energy.